SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—The Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica, which has recently undergone a $30 million refurbishment, will not only reopen in November 2008 with a sleek new look, but also with many new green amenities and practices. The Hotel Shangri-La, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean on Ocean Ave., is dedicating itself to being environmentally conscious. The newly redesigned hotel, which will display a mix of nostalgic Art Deco elements with a contemporary twist, will be adding a restaurant, an elevated pool with cabanas, and a rooftop bar named Suite 700. Other changes include many eco-friendly elements and amenities which allow guests to enjoy a sustainable escape with good conscience.
“Hotels are notoriously one of the biggest offenders to the environment, and we wanted to challenge this idea by incorporating easy elements to eliminate excessive and unnecessary waste,” said hotelier Tehmina Adaya.
Among the eco-friendly additions:
• Bath amenities with packaging that is made from recycled paper and bottles that are biodegradable (made from a cornstarch-based product), and all products are non-animal tested.
• $5.00 off overnight valet parking for guests driving a hybrid vehicle.
• Bottled water provided by a company that allows all carbonization and filtration to be done on-site and glass bottles are sanitized and reused.
• Non-toxic, organic cleaning products will be used for housekeeping.
• An electric cart will be available for hotel staff to use for running local errands.
• All paper products and stationary will be printed on recycled paper.
• Rooms will be furnished with dual flush low flow toilets.
• Men’s restrooms will have waterless urinals.
• Hotel Shangri-La has partnered with a recycling agency to pick up all bottles and cardboard (recycling bins are not a standard city service in Santa Monica).
• A bedside card noting that the sheets will not be changed daily unless requested will be displayed, saving thousands of gallons of water annually.
• Hotel Shangri-La has partnered with a local car rental agency which offers a large selection of hybrid cars and is located blocks from the hotel. Their fleet includes more than 75 hybrids.
• Newspapers will be delivered to guestrooms upon request, not as a standard, to save thousands of copies that are never read.
• The restaurant will be supplied by local vendors and purveyors.
• The wine list will feature primarily American wines to help lower carbon impact.
• The hotel has double layered the windows to prevent loss of heat and air-conditioning.
• A gray water filtration/settling station has been installed that will take all impurities out of the runoff water before releasing it.
• Compact fluorescent lighting will be used throughout the hotel.
• The pool will be solar heated.
Go to the Hotel Shangri-La.
